Rise Against
by Sashah Anna Oosta
Summary: He wondered if somehow, they had been bonded together...if some time ago, they had known one another and been friends as they were now. What could their lives have been like? Would they have been friends? Enemies? Lovers? Collection of One-shots.
1. Tonight We Dance

**Rise Against **

**Collection of one-shots dedicated to Bleach characters and Kubo Tite. And…Rise Against apparently…lol. **

**Not much to say, except that this is something that I can work on when my creative juices run dry. And also a personal test to see if I can write something about Bleach from just hearing a song, so here we go!**

**(Every time I type that, I think of Peter Pan ;))**

**I do not own Bleach, Rise Against or a licence to kill. Too bad. **

_**Tomorrow we might wake in servitude and silence**__**  
**__**I will give you everything if only you would have me**__**  
**__**Tomorrow we will sweat and toil,**__**  
**__**Our hands will quiver caked with soil,**__**  
**__**Tomorrow we'll give it one last chance,**__**  
**__**But tonight we dance,**__**  
**__**But tonight we dance!**_

_**

* * *

**_

**But Tonight We Dance**

_**Begin Chapter One:**_

_**

* * *

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His hands were shaking.

How long had he been running like this?

More than a day – maybe more than two days – at times like this, he wasn't sure if the sun was out at all; the trees had grown so tall that he couldn't see the sky. Bent over, hands on his knees, he watched wide eyed as the tremors ran the lengths of his arms to his fingers. Sweat poured off the tip of his nose, soaking the dusty, barren dirt – how could he be so hot when there was a wintry breeze sweeping through the trees?

Ah, he shook his head – more drops cascading down his orange locks – he didn't have time to sit around here and stare at the ground, he had to get moving. Ignoring the pain in his chest, the suffocating feeling that could mean his lungs were collapsing, he began to run again.

Was he getting closer? Would he make it before the treacherous dawn rose across the horizon? Maybe it was already dawn – maybe he was too late already, and death was on his doorstep.

Maybe all that awaited him was the cold, crusty blood of his friends.

Frozen eyes – cobalt eyes that gleamed with fear – danced in his brain.

He ran faster.

In front of him, the path narrowed, smaller and smaller until he knew he was getting close. Soon, there would be no path to follow, and he would be forced to rely on his memory and instinct to guide him back home.

Home. His heart struck a melancholy cord that left his breath sobbing. But he ran still – there was nothing that would stop him now.

He was close – almost there, but in the same moment he saw the lifeless grey of the bunker, he also realized he would rather be miles away.

Just outside the door, he hesitated. No noise came from inside – but that wasn't abnormal. The bunker went deep into the earth, they could be screaming inside and he wouldn't hear it from here. The door creaked – and then opened, groaning in protest to being pulled out of its comfort, and then he all but leapt into the darkness, travelling down into the depths.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"About time you got here, we've been worried for days."

"Idiot."

Ichigo felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. Ah. They were safe, and it was good to be home.

"Dear God, Ichigo," his second in command – the pineapple head that had somehow became his closest friend, stepped forward and inspecting Ichigo closer, "What happened to you? You look like you've been running for days."

"Well, I was – makes sense, doesn't it?" Ichigo countered, rolling his eyes. He greeted the rest of the group, acknowledging their waves and grunts of hello. But he quickly noticed that one person was missing.

"Oi…where's Rukia?"

"Ah…" Orihime cocked her head, looking around confused, "She was just here a second ago…" she turned to the dark haired teen brooding on an old, dungy couch, "Ne, Ishida-kun, did you see where she went?"

"No, Inoue-san," He barely looked up to answer her; he was too busy staring at Ichigo, who was trying not to meet the gaze, "I'm afraid I didn't."

"She went to the balcony." Chad informed them, feeding his pet parakeet across the room.

"Oh, right! She was saying how stuffy it was in here – her allergies have been-"

"Is she stupid?" Ichigo bellowed, stomping towards a different set of stairs, "We still haven't fixed the beam yet, it could collapse! And they could be here any minute – she could-"

"Who could be here, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo froze. He hadn't wanted to tell them like this – he had such a stupid mouth. But, it looked like he was caught now.

"Ah…" He finally met gaze with Uryuu, who sighed and began to rub the bridge of his nose.

"It seems that they're finally coming for us." Uryuu spoke so calmly that for a moment, Ichigo almost felt like he was saying something perfectly fine and dandy, instead of confirming their impending doom.

Orihime stared at him, mouth hanging open, while Chad stared at his bird.

"What? Coming for us?" Renji spat, shaking his head, "Well we have to do hurry; we have to run-"

"We can't-" Ichigo began, but Uryuu stopped him.

"Go find Rukia. I'll explain."

He didn't look at Ichigo, and Ichigo didn't expect to see Uryuu bother to look either. And he knew that Uryuu wouldn't want to hear a thank you, so Ichigo just nodded and left, partially glad that he didn't have to be the one to see their faces when they figured it out.

There would be hell to pay.

He found her staring at the sky – the small patch of sky that could be seen through the thick bush – a sky glittering with bright stars, the kind they could only see in a middle-of-nowhere place like this. Ichigo was caught up in it for a few seconds, eyes glued to the inverted sea that seemed like a black hole in the midst of chaos. Darkness above them, darkness below them…how fitting.

"Ichigo."

She noticed him – she always did.

"What are you doing up here?"

He felt his irritation for her spike again, "What am _I_ doing up here? What are _you_ doing up here, look at where you're sitting!"

She was seated at the very tip of a broken beam – one that looked like it could bust at any seconds and send her plummeting about thirty feet. She, of course, didn't even turn her head to glare at him.

"I'm not gonna fall, idiot. I'm not a huge buffoon like you are; this beam could probably hold ten of me."

She had a point; he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily, but he didn't have a comeback, so he pouted – glaring at the darkness beneath them. If it weren't for the small light that seeped through the doorway, they would be fully engulfed – the light hadn't been on when he went up; he wondered how she had found her way onto the ledge.

"When did you get back?"

That reminded him of the real world, and he frowned deeper. "Just now – I – uh…" He scratched the back of his head, "It's…it's not good."

She didn't speak – Rukia kept staring at the sky, and he couldn't tell if she looked sad or not.

"When?"

"They'll be here by dawn." He answered after a few seconds of silence.

She surprised him by getting up – somehow balancing on the thin beam – and faced him.

"Then I guess we should-" she jumped in the middle of her sentence – Rukia had always been some type of monkey human hybrid, always climbing to tall places and taking huge leaps no one but Ichigo thought she could handle, but this time he could see it – her trajectory had been off, her feet weren't braced correctly, she was going to miss her landing and slide backwards – falling into the hole at his feet.

Everything blurred – he was lurching forwards, arms wrapping around her, before returning to the safe side of the broken surface.

"Ichi…go?" Rukia looked up at him, not sure whether to thank him or not. She didn't want to put herself in that place – not again. Ichigo knew that she didn't want to be saved by him more than she needed to be.

"You idiot!" Ichigo barked out; face tinged red, "You almost killed yourself! Come on, let's get back inside before you end up splattered – man." Her small fingers circled around his wrist, summoning up strength that no tiny woman could posses; she kept him from dragging her inside.

"Ichigo…I – this is it, isn't? We're going to die."

Ichigo felt his stomach plummet. He remembered the last time she had sounded like this – when she had resigned herself to death – but the difference was that last time he yelled at her and told her to stop being so pessimistic.

Now, he could only accept it with her.

For the first time that night, he was mad.

_Pissed_ off that after everything that they had gone through, after fighting for their lives for years that now they couldn't do anything to save themselves – after years of fighting to keep that stupid look off her face, that hopeless, lost, weak look that was so _un_-Rukia – now he couldn't do anything about it. If he tried, he would be a hypocrite, because that look was on all their faces now.

"I don't want to die."

Well, Ichigo's head snapped up – shocked, but smiled softly. That was something, at least.

"I don't want to die either."

"Say, Ichigo-" Rukia turned her eyes away from him, "There's something that I need to tell you. I've decided, that since we're about to die and all, that there's nothing for me to lose…"

"Rukia?" Ichigo tried to meet her eyes, but she stubbornly looked into the distance.

"Ichigo, before you saved me, I didn't think that there was anything to live for anymore – my hope and my will to live on had been stolen from me, but then you came around and somehow you made me want to see daylight again. You made me want to run and fight, and die fighting – because dying fighting for your life means that I got to choose when I died instead of it being decided for me."

She smiled a little bit, "I owe you a lot, Ichigo."

He chuckled, "You're already said your thanks, Rukia. You didn't hate me for saving you, so I assumed everything was alright."

"I just…it's not just that, Ichigo – I want you to know…" She paused and looked at him, her eyes hardening, "Hey, are you listening to me?"

He was – he was trying to, at least, but it was getting harder to hear what she was saying…and was the ground moving beneath his feet? He couldn't keep his balance…

"Ichigo!" Rukia's hands circled around his forearms – he heard her distorted voice and decided that it was too loud.

Then everything was silent and dark.

He was confused when he began to wake up. He heard music - a soft piano playing a miserable tune, beautiful music that settled in the pits of his soul and moved him.

"Ichigo?"

Opening his eyes, he saw Rukia standing over him – watching him carefully, before her eyebrows relaxed and she smiled softly.

"Finally awake? Good."

He yelped when she bashed him on the head.

"What are you doing? Don't hit me!"

She hit him again, her eyes glinting dangerously, "You ran for two days straight, no water no food, and you're calling me an idiot?"

The piano continued – and was joined by a soft voice, equally sad and sorrowful.

It clicked.

"Uryuu's playing…"

Rukia was still glaring at him, but she leaned back on her knees, "A last song – to give himself some peace. Orihime-chan is also singing with him. They're enjoying their last moments together." She shook her head, "Why are you such a fool, Ichigo? You didn't have to come back…you should have stayed…lived a little while longer…"

"I wanted to be here – with you guys. It seemed like the only place I could be happy to die."

Rukia snorted, "Happy to die? How…terrible."

"Isn't it?"

"I still don't want to die…"

"I know."

He lay on the small cot, staring at the ceiling, while she fiddled with her fingers.

"Are we giving up?"

Her question sparked a long forgotten feeling that Ichigo remembered from when he first discovered that they were coming for them.

"Are we…just letting ourselves die? I…I don't – I knew that this was going to happen one day…but, now that we're here, I can't help but feel like I'm giving up all over again."

"Rukia…"

"I want to live, Ichigo. It's your fault, you made me want it – and now I don't want it to be taken away, I don't want the dawn to come, I don't want this night to end…"

He sat up and sighed. He knew what she was feeling. Confusion and fear, because she thought he was giving up along with her; she was trying to snap him out of it. He was usually the one who refused to give up – the one who refused to die. But today…tonight, he felt something different in his heart. If they ran, they would die like dogs, shot down in the middle of the forest somewhere. One of them might survive – and if anyone survived, it would probably be him.

Uryuu was still sick – his body wouldn't be able to handle it, and Orihime, though she was very strong, was no match for the militia. Chad was strong, but he was too kind to leave behind his friends – he would go back and fight with them – fight and die with them. Renji might survive – but being alone again would kill him from the inside out.

He could remember the day their rag-tag group had come together – a common purpose creating bonds between then that otherwise would never have lasted.

It had been Rukia.

As Renji's childhood friend, he felt obligated to help her.

As Uryuu's cousin, he felt that his family should be saved.

As Orihime's best friend, she couldn't stand the thought of her being killed.

As Chad's best friend's debtor, he couldn't stand by and let Ichigo go in alone.

And as for Ichigo – he remembered her face when she came across him in the rain – his family slain and his house burned to the ground. The militia had come in the night and raided their home – and killed any who tried to fight them. She dressed his wounds, placed an umbrella over his head and force fed him until he felt sick.

He had survived…and then she had left him in the care of her sister who nursed him until he could live on his own. He had heard nothing or Rukia for three years – but he remembered her always.

From what he gathered from Hisana, Rukia had been the hand-chosen right hand of Shiba Kaien, a high-ranking officer who died years before he had met her. After his death, she was recruited to another office – a man who was rumoured to be merciless and loathed even by his troops.

Ichimaru Gin.

It had been his men who came to his home that night – his men who killed his family and left him to die.

His orders: steal from the poor to continue to live and kill.

When Rukia had saved him, she had committed a crime – a betrayal of Gin, but Ichigo thought she would be okay – how could he have found out? They had been alone that night, and now Ichigo was living with Hisana – who could care less about the affairs of the military.

However, her husband was an officer, who was obliged to inform his superiors that Rukia was a traitor.

God, how Ichigo despised that man. He betrayed his sister – and led her to her death.

She was, of course, sentenced to die.

Ichigo heard about it when Hisana gave into hysterics, screaming and sobbing – falling to her bed. She never got up – she died there because of her pain.

It was then that Ichigo committed himself to saving her – joined the military under a fake name, befriended Chad and Renji – who ironically was harbouring the same hatred for his superior. It was easy to convince him to join. Chad followed Ichigo in, saying that he couldn't let them do it alone.

Then Orihime – who they stumbled upon trying to sneak into the training barracks, having accidentally mistaken it for Rukia's cell. She was a secretary to the Commander and Rukia's only real friend. She asked them to join her before they could open their mouths.

Uryuu was working from the inside – already a member of an elite platoon that specialized in non-gun fighting. He, of course, discovered Ichigo's team and had rolled his eyes, before pulling them aside to warn them that if they kept marching around together, they were going to be caught.

Arrogant prick.

But…he had done his job – they were more careful and weren't found out and eventually, Ichigo made contact with Rukia and convinced her to keep on living and go with them.

They had been on the run for two years.

Two blissful years of comrade and friendship, years that Ichigo enjoyed thoroughly. And the beautiful thing about it was that all of his friends enjoyed it too. They were orphans – loners – people that had nowhere to go. Even though they were so different, they were still family.

And that's how he wanted it to end.

If he was going to die, he wanted to die happy and with his family.

Standing up, he towered over her – her eyes still trained, downcast, on the ground.

"Get up, Rukia."

She turned to look at him slowly, her cobalt eyes still clouded with sadness.

"What? Why?" Her voice was low and unbearable – annoyance sprang into his chest.

"Just…take my hand." Ichigo contradicted his words by grabbing her hand before she could decide for herself.

To the sound of Uryuu's playing, he placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"If we're going to die, then I want to die with a smile on my face-"

Her eyes glinted, and he saw the Rukia that he knew again.

"Smile? Don't you mean a slightly turned up scowl? Please, Ichigo – you don't smile. You frown, you scowl, you grimace, you pout but smiling isn't in your facial expression reservoir."

"Heh, you're right. Fine then – I want to _feel_ happy."

And together, to the heart-breaking music that came from somewhere in their underground home, they shared a dance that lasted until dawn, even after the music faded – even after the door was bust down and their home was ransacked – even while guns glinted and shots were fired.

The sun crawled across the horizon – and they still danced like it was night.

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_**End Chapter One**_


	2. The Dirt Whispered

**Chapter Two of Rise Against:**

**This is a personal favorite of mine – I always liked the idea that Ichigo and Rukia were connected before the events of Bleach – like at the end of the movie Fade to Black. So, this is a continuation of my one-shot instalment: a tale about Ichigo and Rukia before they became…Ichigo and Rukia…**

**Yeah. So this chapter was inspired off of a House episode – anyone who can tell me what ep it is can get a free request! It could be a song-based or a story idea that they would like to see done. Please, something I can actually write…which is basically anything, but…please stick to character pairings that I approve. If you're wondering about which ones I approve of, then PM me. **

**I still don't own Bleach. Not for lack of trying, though, but Kubo has stopped taking my calls…**

_**A destination, a fading smile.**__**  
**__**Another station, another mile.**__**  
**__**Another day gone, I swore that I will.**__**  
**__**Be there before dawn.**__**  
**__**So be there, I will.**_

_**She got down on hands and knees,**__**  
**__**One ear against the ground,**__**  
**__**Holding her breath to hear something,**__**  
**__**Anything at all**_

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**The Dirt Whispered**

_**Begin Chapter Two:**_

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She couldn't take it anymore.

Her muscles contracted again – pain overtook everything that she knew, and she thought that she wouldn't make it through – but somehow her stubborn body refused to be taken out, even while her mind screamed to just be put out of its misery.

"Gah!" Her breath was stolen from her, again, as cramping shudders ran up her stomach and into her neck, paralyzing her.

She couldn't even scream.

"Rukia."

He spoke – softly, letting her know that she wasn't alone – but she would really rather be alone. She didn't want him to see her like this, contorted in pain, caught between begging him to kill her, and ordering him to leave.

Her hand fisted – and she was unable to undo it, causing her to stare at it in panic.

_Please, God no – not yet- not so soon!_

Hisana had gone on for seven days before her hands had curled into tiny fists. Soon after, she had lost her sight and was left to do nothing but scream until the pain killed her.

A large hand enclosed her fist – she could feel warmth spreading into her as he gently massaged the muscles, somehow coaxing it back into its regular shape.

"How bad?"

She wanted to laugh – what a foolish question – couldn't he see that she was in the most pain she had ever felt? But…his eyes kept her from speaking harshly. How could he know? She was hiding most of it from him, trying to keep him from panicking, but really, it wouldn't be too long before the pain became so bad that she wouldn't be able to stop screaming.

"Bad." She sucked in a deep breath, "It comes in waves – but the pain is always there, most of the time annoying, but in those waves…" She shuddered as her muscles stopped contracting, and she was left with only a dull, aching, pulsing pain.

"It's like my body is being ripped apart."

He sighed – long and deep, before resting his forehead on her stomach, "God Rukia, how…what can I do? I can't…I'm useless! Dammit!"

What could she do to help him? How many times could she reassure him that he wasn't useless? Now that she couldn't hit him for being an idiot, he was being the biggest idiot she had ever seen him be.

"You're not useless, idiot." Now that the pain was gone, she could glare at him the proper again, "If you were useless, would I let you stay beside me on my deathbed?" She snorted, "Don't make me kick your ass."

"But…I'm letting you die." He mumbled into her blanket.

It took all of her strength to do it, but she managed to lift her arm and deliver a pretty decent blow. He yelped at least, which was good enough for her.

"Ichigo, you're a strong man. You can fight, you can kill…but even you couldn't save me from this. Stop acting like this – like the world's about to end because I'm gonna die. It's really pathetic." She patted him on the head, his spiky orange locks slightly damp from the rain outside.

"Shut up Rukia." He still didn't look at her, which pissed her off.

"You're telling a dying person to shut up? What kind of deathbed scene is this? I want a refund." She was being biting and sarcastic, but she couldn't help it. Ichigo was strong, Ichigo was confident, Ichigo was headstrong and a bit of a moron – he wasn't useless.

But he sure was acting that way. He thought he was useless – he thought that he was letting her die.

"Dammit Ichigo." Rukia growled, "Don't you think it's stupid that the healthy person in this room is feeling for sorry for himself than the dying person?"

He remained faced down and silent.

"Oh, so now you're not going to talk to me. Very mature. Ichigo – why did you come over here in the first place if you weren't going to-" Her ranting cut off with a low, drawn out groan.

"Rukia?"

She couldn't answer him – the pain was back and worse than before.

"Oh, God!" she gritted her teeth – clenching her fists until it felt like her nails were piercing her palms. Even closing her eyes was impossible because of the muscle spasms she was going through.

And then darkness.

But she wasn't unconscious. She was still awake and feeling pain, but she couldn't see.

This was the step before death. Her pain would increase until she couldn't take it anymore, and then she would die.

"Ichigo!" Fighting the pain, she found his hand and grasped it with all her strength, "Ichigo – I can't-I…I can't see…"

Immediately, his hands closed around hers – griping her as tightly as she was him.

"Rukia – are you sure?"

Was she sure? Did he really just ask that?

Her mouth opened to tell him off, but she caught herself on time. She was just panicking because she couldn't see – she was freaking out because she was afraid…and Ichigo was also freaking out because he was afraid too.

"Rukia?"

She couldn't help it – all of her fears came crashing around her. She was going to die – this was it. She wouldn't feel the sunshine again, she wouldn't see her friends again, she wouldn't taste strawberries again…this was it. Tears began to stream down her cheeks – and then Ichigo began to shake her.

"Dammit, Rukia – stop that!"

"Ichigo…" she found her voice again, and winced when she heard how choked it sounded – her jaw was in spasm, the pain was still everywhere, but she needed him – she needed to hear his voice, she needed to not be able to hear her own heartbeat pounding harder and faster. "Ichigo – say something, anything…"

There was silence for a minute, before he finally understood. She heard his mouth open and close a few time – his fingers clenching around her own, before he managed to spit something out – something that surprised her – but only until she realized that he must have been thinking about it for a while.

"This isn't the end."

The confidence in his voice caused her tears to stop for a moment.

"It can't be – I've decided that…that one day we'll meet again. Someday, we'll be reincarnated, or whatever crap has to do with being reborn again, but you'll see."

"You've decided?" She couldn't help taking a jab at him, even though she was gasping for breath, "How did you manage that?"

"This…this can't just be it, Rukia. If I can't save you from this, then I've got to save you from something. I still owe you, remember?"

Ah. She smiled.

She remembered.

That stupid Ichigo – of course he would remember something as ridiculous as that.

It had been her eleventh birthday. All she had done was sneak away from her house – her sister had just died, and Nii-sama hadn't been in the mood to do anything. So, she snuck out – it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He didn't even notice she was around for most of the time.

It had been early in the morning; the dew had barely evaporated from the grass – which is why she had been surprised to find an orange-haired boy wandering the forest like she was.

He had a good reason though. Who wouldn't go looking for their lost siblings?

Rukia chuckled – those twins had been trouble since she could remember. Somehow, they managed to sneak past both Ichigo and his father. Eventually, however, the girls grew up strong and smart – Ichigo stopped worrying about them going out.

On the day of her eleventh birthday, however, the twins were barely six – not smart, and not strong. Without having to ask, she joined him on his search – using her quick wit and instinct, she found them – after arguing with Ichigo about who was right.

She would have rubbed in her superiority in more, if his sisters hadn't been in the midst of being attacked by a large bear – who was trying to tear them down from their perches on the top of a tree.

Ichigo had freaked out and run towards them – causing the bear to turn on him.

He had almost been mauled to death, had Rukia not knocked him into a river, causing him to be taken downstream before the bear could have hurt him.

Playing cat and mouse with a bear wasn't on her to do list, but that day she found herself leaping away from sharp teeth and strong claws. In a fit of strength, she kicked it right in its snout – her sandals breaking, which allowed for one of its teeth to rip into her foot. It was disoriented – for a moment, which gave her a window of opportunity.

To grab a large stick…and start beating the hell out of it. Which didn't end up well. Instead of beating the hell out of it, it seemed to beat the hell out of her. Not surprising. Bear versus small, cobalt -eyed girl? She never stood a chance, but what was she supposed to do? Sit around and watch as the bear dragged those poor girls out of the tree.

Looking back on that day, she knew that at the moment the bear had seemed huge – but…in reality, it must have been a small, young bear. This was the only reason it didn't kill her. She had beaten it away enough times for it to decide that she wasn't worth it. She had been half-dead, bleeding with a few broken bones – but she was alive.

Afterwards, she had introduced herself to Karin and Yuzu – and then leaned on them, being slowly dragged down the river, until they found Ichigo.

At first, he had jumped up and started yelling, until they got close enough for him to see the state she was in. He hadn't said anything – he was shocked, but still helped her back home, where his father had bandaged her up – sobbing and praising her for saving his beautiful daughters.

She hadn't been able to move for a week – she couldn't walk by herself for two, and it wasn't until a month later that she didn't wake up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.

After that, Ichigo and her had been friends – and he had always watched over her.

She never thought that he would still believe that he owed her for that. After all they had been through, he still remembered that?

"You think you still need to save me?"

He rubbed his fingers in semi-circles on the top of her hand, "I know I do, Rukia. And – if I can't save you now, then obviously I'm going to get another chance to redeem myself."

Rukia laughed – her muscles still aching, but she was too jovial for that, "You idiot. You still believe that?"

They were both silent for a while, but he held her hand, and she accepted it. Just like she accepted his irrational need to watch out for her - which at times was a little insulting, but also at some times, it was a little nice. After living in an empty home for how many years, it was comforting to have Ichigo breathing down her neck a few hours of the day.

If they did meet again, she had no doubt that he would save her – that somehow he would pay her back for something that he didn't need too.

Because that was Ichigo. He was always going to be like that – and she wished that she could see him as an old man, because there wa no doubt in her mind that that would be something special.

Ichigo would always be Ichigo.

And she would always be Rukia.

And maybe one day…

"Ichigo…if we meet again one day…if you manage to save me from something…would you still be my friend? Would you still want to see me? Or…is it just…because you think you owe me?"

"Idiot." He flicked her forehead, "You're not feeling sorry for yourself, are you? Come one. What kind of scum-bag abandons his best friend like that? Face it, Kuchiki Rukia – you're stuck with me. I'll save you, and then you'll do something to make me owe you again, and then I'll save you, and then it'll repeat."

"Oh joy," Rukia rolled her eyes – her instinctual reaction, even while she was blind, "You for eternity."

The rain continued outside – she could hear it, even better without her sight. She knew that she was going to die – probably tonight, before the next day came. And it would be a painful death – she would scream and cry, and Ichigo would hold her hand until his bones were about to break. But if Ichigo was right, she had nothing to worry about – she would get another chance.

And Ichigo would get another chance to prove himself.

She couldn't help but think it was a little romantic…but, she dismissed it.

That damn Ichigo. Feeding her idea's like this…but…maybe he wasn't as big an idiot as she thought. She wasn't afraid to die…looking forward to it, actually. It was the process of dying that worried her. Too bad for Ichigo, though. He had a full life ahead of him before he got to join her.

Oh well.

When she got there, she would wait for him. He would find her – he swore that he would. And until then, she would wait.

And he would save her – but…maybe, just to piss him off, she would save him first.

And then he would owe her even more – and then would have to meet again after that. It was a devious plan – one that made her grin, causing Ichigo to question her about what she could possibly be thinking about.

She dismissed him, distracting him with a jab to his orange hair.

But, eternity with Ichigo?

After thinking about it…it didn't sound so bad after all.

* * *

_**End Chapter Two**_


	3. Life Less Frightening

**Haha, yay! First review! Thank you **_**secretpenname3**_**, when I woke up this morning, I was immediately inspired to finish off the third one-shot I had started, and then given up on late last night because I couldn't pull it together! It was just…I wanted to make something that was fall of your chair and sob because it was so sad (Just because when it come to Ichigo and Rukia, my default is happy – but for once…I wanted the ending to be truly dismal)**

**Well, thanks to **_**secretpenname3**_** – here's another update, earlier than I had intended to post. Warning! This chapter is a bit heavy, but I promise that the next few will be happy endings! I just had to get one like this off my chest. It's a little shorter than the others, but there really wasn't a lot I could stuff into it...Oh, and excuse the grammar/spelling errors, and just tell me about them. When I rearrange the chapters, I can fix them! Yay!**

**Anywho, hope you like it!**

**Read and Review please!**

**I still don't own Bleach. Anybody wanna lend it to me? Seriously…whites can only get so yellow before you have to pass them off as a different colour. **

_**Is there a God tonight?**__**  
**__**Up in the sky or is it empty just like me**__**  
**__**A place where we can hide out from the night**__**  
**__**Where you are all I see**__**  
**__**So blow a kiss goodbye, close your eyes**__**  
**__**Tell me what you see**__**  
**__**A life that's set inside this dream of mine**__**  
**__**Where you are all I see**_

* * *

**Life Less Frightening**

_**Begin Chapter Three:**_

* * *

"Ichigo! Ichigo, stop it!"

He couldn't stop. Why would he want to stop? If he stopped then that would be admitting that it was over – that everything that he had done meant nothing – and the one person that he had sworn that he would protect was dead and gone.

If he stopped…then he was a failure.

"She's dead! Just leave her!"

"Shut up Uryuu!" He almost spun around and ripped his face off – why wouldn't shut up? Couldn't he see that he had to do this? He couldn't give up on her now, if he did-

Dammit!

His fingers slipped again – the rain was making it hard for his hands to stay centered on her chest. His mind kept counting, even while he wasn't doing compressing on her chest – keeping her heart beating while she didn't have the state of mind to do it herself.

_One and two and one and two and one and two and one and two and one and two and one and two and one and two-_

Warm hands – contrasting the cold skin that was beneath his fingers – encircled around his wrists and yanked him back – to fast and too hard for him to stop it. He skidded back a few feet – it took a few seconds for his head to clear – before he realized what Uryuu had done.

"You bastard!"

His fist buried itself into the dark-haired boys face –breaking his nose and sending a wave of blood onto his lips. The rain mixed with the blood – making it look like there was more blood than there already was. Forgetting about his anger for the moment, Ichigo kneeled beside her again and began to work her again – a little faster than before, the friction between the bloody cloth of hers and his sweaty hands creating a false sense of warmth from her chest.

"She's dead, Ichigo."

No! He refused to believe it – there was no way that Rukia could be dead. Not like this – not in such a bloody, horrible way.

"Ichigo…"

He tried to block Uryuu out – he only wanted to think about Rukia – he only wanted to hear her voice – calling him an idiot, teasing him for his hair colour. He could practically hear her voice now –what she would sound like when she woke up.

"_Damn Ichigo, you didn't have to work so hard! I think you broke my rib!"_

And then she would hit him, and they would continue on their mission and when they defeated Aizen, they would go back home and be welcomed by his stupid dad and they would life together like he had before her family was killed, and everything would be okay.

God…everything _had_ to be okay.

What would he do without her? How long before the madness in the back of his head came back? Then it would be back again - and Ichigo might not be able to stop himself from giving in - now that Rukia was gone...there was no reason for him to not be a killing, murderous monster - the sly voice would get into him and convince him that-

**_"Ichigo."_**

He wanted Uryuu to shut up - he was too busy trying to deal with all the emotions that were circling around in his gut right now - was that bile in the back of his mouth? It tasted God-awful - he looked down again, and his heart was ripped out of his chest - thrown against the muddy ground. Her eyes were glassy and flat - those cobalt orbs that glittered...well, they weren't glittering anymore. He watched his own hand, sopping with blood - not his own- reach out and force her lids down; she had to stop staring at him, he had to stop her from looking dead. With her eyes closed, she could just be asleep.

Sleeping. Yes - she was sleeping, that was it - and she was fine and everything was going to be fine.

**_"Ichigo."_**

"Shut up, Uryuu." his voice wasn't as dangerous and spiteful as it had been before - because before Rukia was dead, and now she was asleep. He was fine. Everything was fine.

"What?" Uryuu was lying on the ground, his fingers clutching his broken nose, "I didn't say anything."

Ichigo wondered what that meant...of course he said something - he heard it. Who else could it have been?

**_"You're losing it, Ichigo."_**

There it was again but...he was looking at Uryuu...he hadn't said anything. His hand brushed against Rukia's skin - and flinched away. She was cold. And turning a little blue - panic rose in his chest, before he remembered that everything was okay and she was fine.

**_"Saying fine so many times doesn't mean it really is fine."_**

What was that? It wasn't Uryuu, he was cursing to himself, and looking a little nauseous. Where was that sound coming from. Instinctively, he grabbed Rukia's hand for comfort - it was limp, cold and stiff. But that was just fine.

**_"Idiot, she's dead. Stop pawing at a corpse."_**

She wasn't dead! Why was everyone saying that? He knew he was right - because she couldn't be dead. If Rukia was dead, then he had failed and everything was for nothing. If she was dead...he didn't want to be alive.

**_"Face it...look at her...do the sleeping feel so sickly? You feel her skin...she's cold and limp as a fish. Come on, Ichigo. Wake up and smell the rotting."_**

No! He increased the pressure on her hand - maybe the pain would wake her up, maybe she would yell at him for breaking her hand - maybe-maybe-maybe-maybe-maybe-

Her bones broke - a few of her fingers bent the wrong way, but she didn't move - she didn't stir, and Ichigo felt a darkness coming around him - swallowing him into a pit of madness. He could be screaming - he could be sobbing, but all he really knew was that she wasn't breathing and his soul was on fire. It hurt...so _damn _much - everything was getting hotter, was it still black? It felt like it should be red - the colour of pain - the colour of blood. What did he care, anyway? Everything that he was fell away the moment his vision went to black, and he couldn't see her anymore. All he wanted was Rukia. Nothing else. But, God, the _pain_...the _fire_...

_**"I can take it away. All that pain - that agony. Just let me out, what'ya say? You won't feel it - I can carve you out...you'll never feel again...you'll just be..."**_ it licked it's lips **_"Hollow."_**

Rukia had told him to never give in - to never let that side of him take him over. How could he betray her by letting that monster come out again? _Ah _- another lick of fire ran down his chest - like there were nails scraping across his skin. It was making good on it's offer...to carve him out...

_**"She's dead, Ichigo. Dead because you failed her. You betrayed her first...she wouldn't care if you did the same. Because good, darling Rukia would always forgive you, right? Even if you are the one that killed her."**_

"I didn't kill her!" His voice was lost in the vast darkness - he could yell, scream as loud as he wanted - but he still felt small compared to the space around him. But he didn't...didn't, couldn't, wouldn't...never...

_**"Oh, that's right. It was that bastard Aizen, right? Gutted her and then laughed, remember? **__**I****t sounded like this"**_ - and the voice laughed like that bastard traitor had laughed, and it sent Ichigo spiraling downwards, faster than he had fallen before. He was brought back to the moment that Rukia had been killed - impaled to the hilt. Her eyes - he remembered them; she had looked at him, the last thing that she had seen was his face - his eyes wide with horror. It was right. He had killed her - ended her life without a care - like a _real _monster. _**"Yes,"**_ it continued, _**"I'm not the monster here. But, you're so weak Ichigo...how could you ever defeat the man who you let kill your darling?"**_

For a moment -Ichigo gasped - and he was back in reality, with Rukia's hand in his, and Uryuu leaning over him - yelling - asking if he was okay. And then, the shock wore off, and he was dragged back down into the depth of his black soul. Had it always been so rotten? Or...was it just the monster inside of him was getting stronger? Maybe he didn't mind. It was right, how could he kill Aizen? Without Rukia, he was useless - a pathetic, cowardly fool with no chance at anything. He couldn't even fight the madness without her.

_**"I could help you."**_

It didn't sound saintly. It didn't sound sincere. It's voice was screetchy - the sound of a monster brimming with anticipation, because it knew that it was going to get it's way - it knew that it was about to be freed. Ichigo knew it too, because he didn't want to be there anymore. The fire in his heart was too much - too strong, and what better way for him to get away than to just stop existing? He wouldn't have to feel anymore - he wouldn't have to remember anything - like her flat eyes, and the feeling of her delicate bones snapping like twigs in his grip.

God, he felt like throwing up.

Instead, he gave it all away. He just didn't care anymore. The fire was everywhere now, he just didn't want to feel anymore, and true to the monsters words, as he sank deeper, he didn't feel a single thing.

The last thing he heard was the monster in his head, cackling, and ensuring him that it would make everything better.

* * *

Uryuu was starting to worry - Ichigo had been staring off into space, looking catatonic for almost fifteen minutes now. His breathing was wet and sobby - like there were tears constantly threatening to take over. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get him to let go of Kuchiki's hand - his grip was so tight, that Uryuu could hear her broken bones grinding together as Ichigo's hands writhed.

"Ichigo! Wake up!"

What was he doing? Was he just going to give up and sit there? Could they leave the rest of their friends to fight? Uryuu wasn't sure that the others could handle themselves well enough to stay alive...and if Aizen got to them, there would be no hope. He had killed Kuchiki in a moment, faster than any of them could have reacted. If he had chosen to kill Ichigo, Uryuu was sure that he would be dealing with a catatonic Kuchiki instead. There was no way that they could win. No way that they could stop Aizen...even after they had chased him so far - followed him into the depths of hell to stop his reign of terror. The bastard had killed their families - raided their homes while they slept, stealing their children and setting fire to their towns.

Why was it that mad men always accumulated armies to march at his disposal? Uryuu was starting to lose hope in his people - if more and more were starting to think it was okay to be ruled by a bloody tyrant, then there was no hope left. He remembered his friends - banding together to stop him - Orihime had been the one to convince him that they could win - her confidence had shone into him and mad him strong, so he had picked up his bow and followed her into battle. He had truly believed that they could win...but, with what he just saw; Aizen moving so fast that nobody could move, he knew that Aizen couldn't be human.

"Damn it all!" They had led themselves to their slaughter.

Suddenly, Ichigo began to laugh - laughter that caused Uryuu's gut to go cold.

_**"Yes...yes..." **_Ichigo dropped Kuchiki's hand -and he held his hand in front of his face, admiring it. Then he turned to Uryuu, and Uryuu saw black and yellow eyes, blood-lust brewing behind them like confidence used to brew. He knew in that moment that Ichigo wasn't Ichigo anymore, and with the next words out of the things mouth, he also knew that it wouldn't be Aizen that slaughtered him.

_**"Damn everything to hell."**_

Later, it licked the blood on it's hands, while admiring the bodies that littered the ground around it- heads and skulls that had been picked clean. It sat, a king of the dead, watching over it's kingdom with bony, white hands and eyes of hollow madness - laughing to himself while feasting on his prize.

_**"See that Ichigo? I guess you were right. Everything will be fine."**_

* * *

_**End Chapter Three**_


	4. Swing Life Away

**Chapter four! Yahooo! And personally, I think that this one is really cute - I love the ending, because if you haven't noticed, it's been raining in the past three chapters, so just keep that in mind while you read it. I was so close to making the ending different - and if I feel like it, I'll post another story with some endings changed...lol. This was originally a sad ending but...I did promise a happy ending, so here it is. **

**Okay - if any of you reading know the band Rise Against, feel free to make a song request - in a few chapters, I'll be taking other song requests (You know, once I get more REVIEWS hint hint...I'm desperate here guys, come on - I'm considering doing one of those 'when I get X number of reviews, THEN I'll update'...don't make me do it people...please?)**

**This one really sucked, because while I was writing it, I accidentally refreshed my page without saving. Bleh. That's what I get for editing on the site. Stupid keyboard shortcuts. Gah, anywho...moving on...even though last night I was screaming and thiiiis close to throwing my computer against the wall and just being done with it. But...I just took a few calming breathes, and repeated over and over again that this was for Rukia and Ichigo, and if I just gave up, I would be doing them a great injustice. **

**Bleach is not mine. Though, I am considering marrying Kubo...then I could probably convince him to add more romance between Rukia and Ichigo. Remember, IchiRuki is goodness!**

_**I'll show you mine if you show me yours first**__**  
**__**Let's compare scars, I'll tell you who's is worse**__**  
**__**Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words**_

_**We live on front porches and swing life away,**__**  
**__**We get by just fine here on minimum wage**__**  
**__**If love is a labour I'll slave till the end,**__**  
**__**I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand**_

* * *

**Swing Life Away**

_**Begin Chapter Four:**_

* * *

"Jeez, are you always going to be such a pain?"

She laughed, walking backwards while facing him – the streets filled with bumper to bumper cars and dozens of stores on her other side. She tried not to let her eyes wander to the many stores that hung Chappy the Rabbit merchandise in the windows. If Ichigo caught her again, it would mean endless teasing, and then she would have to hit him, and he would grumble to himself for a while – losing the good mood that he seemed to be in today.

"I'll stop being a pain when you stop being an idiot, how does that sound?"

He growled, reaching out and messing up her perfect bob before she could stop him, "How did I ever became friends with such an annoying midget?"

Slapping his hand away, she turned around and huffed, "How did _I_ ever become friends with such an annoying berry-head?"

But, she knew the answer to that - they had become friends because, in reality, Ichigo was the only person Rukia could stand, and Rukia was the only person Ichigo could stand. It was a special understanding that they had with one another. Growing up, Rukia had always been treated like she was a queen - the most important person in the world. Not uncommon for children, but as she grew up she was trained to act like she was better than everybody else - sometimes she hated Byakuya for raising her that way, but what else could she expect from him? If she was a Kuchiki - she was going to be the best damn Kuchiki she could be. She had never been able to live with others - as a child, she hadn't been allowed to play with children, so she had grown up disliking all other people.

Then, in middle school, she had met Ichigo Kurosaki.

It wasn't an immediate attraction - she didn't see him, and know right off the bat that they would become best friends. In fact, the first time he spoke to her, her general dislike for people turned into pure hatred.

Nobody had ever told her she was a stuck up bitch before, until Ichigo had called her that in the middle of class. She had refused to be partnered up with him for a lab - her only reason being that she didn't like his stupid hair. Then, he had called her out with the line that made her punch him in the face.

After that, they had glared down each other, until she decided that she would be his partner - just to make his life a living hell. She made things difficult, refused to share her ideas, and a few times, even though to this day she denied it, purposely sabotaged his diagrams and re-wrote his essays. She never expected to find anything in common with him. Of course, Ichigo hadn't told her anything, he was too busy loathing her existence to talk to her more than he had to - it had been his annoying father that had spilled about Ichigo's mother and having to raise his children alone, without a motherly figure. And she had pieced the rest together herself.

She only spent her third block biology class with him, but when she saw him in the halls - he was never with anybody else, except for a few seconds of conversation with a large, student whose name she didn't know.

Later on, he became one of her friends too, and she learned that his name was Sado - or, Chad - as what Ichigo called him.

But, Ichigo was like her - he didn't like people, because the only people he liked was his family, and after his mom died - in that horrible accident by the bridge - he thought that his family hated him. After that, he instinctively turned away from other people, just so that they didn't feel for him...because what if he screwed up again? One of the things that had brought them closer together was when her sister died. Rukia had known that it was coming - after years of sickness, and her sister slowly having her immune system weakened with nothing to stop the infections, there was nothing anybody could do but sit around and watch her die.

After, she found that the only person she felt that she could go to was Ichigo. Even if they didn't like each other, he was the only person who understood her pain - and after that, he seemed to realize that as well. So - they became each other's true friend - and shared all of their secrets, all of their sad thoughts and horrible memories. And then they spent almost everyday together, and Rukia had never been so glad to have been called a bitch in her life.

"You didn't say yes, did you?"

Ah - she was reminded of the reason they were arguing in the first place, "Well, what was I supposed to do? Tell Takoando that, no matter how much he was attracted to me, I could probably never feel for him ever?" She rolled her eyes, "You might not care if people know you're a unfeeling jerk, but I still care if people think I'm an unfeeling twit. I'll just have to go out with him a few times, and then make up some excuse - same thing I do every time." She thought he'd understand by now. Or, maybe this was just him playing protective big brother again.

Either that, or he was jealous. She snorted. Yeah right.

"I just think it's lame that you have to have to put yourself through this - we both know you'll be bored out of your mind, and you'll use that awful, ear-piercing voice -," He made a painful face, "Thank God I don't have to put up with that."

"Aw," She made a hurt face, bringing her voice up a few octaves, "You don't like my voice Ichi? That makes me so sad - whatever will I do?"

"Gah!" Ichigo waved his hands expressively, "Did you just hear what I said? Stop it! I _hate _that voice."

She laughed, in her normal voice, punching him in the shoulder. When he winced, she laughed harder, before calling him a wuss.

"Well, just never date me. You won't ever have to hear it then." Unless I'm trying to annoy you, she added silently, and a little smugly.

"I keep that in mind," Ichigo retorted dryly, "But why don't you just say no to a few of them? You don't have to go out with every single on of those freaks."

"Just because you reject every girl who shows any interest in you, doesn't mean that that's the way to go." She didn't mean for her voice to be that cold and biting, but they were starting to tread into dangerous waters - and she was very aware of that. Right now, she just wanted to end the conversation.

"Pfft," He scoffed his scowl reaching his eyes - a sign that he was starting to get really pissed, "What would you know? You probably like the way those guys fawn over you - you've been going out with one every week."

"Oh yeah, Ichigo -I love watching them fawn over me - I sit myself down on a thrown and watch them fight for my favor, eating popcorn and enjoying the show. God, Ichigo - just drop it, okay?" He was starting to get annoying; they usually never fought, unless it was some variation of light teasing, but when they did fight, all the stops were torn out and they went at each other like rabid dogs.

Not that great for a friendship, but like she said - they hardly ever fought like that.

They continued on in silence. In a few blocks, they would go separate ways, and after a good nights sleep, they would be able to wake up tomorrow and pretend that nothing had happened. She ignored the tug of her heart telling her to talk to Ichigo and sort things out. She cringed. Because that would mean opening her heart up to the buffoon and having to admit that he was right.

She had been going out with more boys lately. She didn't want to admit it, but...she was looking for somebody. When she was with Ichigo, she was happy and could talk and really be herself around him. When she wasn't with Ichigo, however, it was like she was the only person in the world, and it was a lonely, empty world. Most of all, though, she hated that Ichigo didn't feel the same way. He didn't seek her out - he didn't start conversations with her - it was always Rukia who found him, brooding by himself in the hallway, or sitting alone on the roof, eating his lunch. Maybe if she tried to find a girl to hang out with, Ichigo would get off her back and leave her alone.

But - she couldn't get along with girls. Her nose scrunched just thinking about it - girls always talked so fast - Rukia could never understand what they were saying when they sat around in their little flocks and chattered. Also, their words flew out of their mouths faster than they could process them, causing more drama than a friendship with a girl was worth. And it wasn't like she could go up to the girls at school and ask them to skip class and throw ball with her in the park. Because of that stupid Ichigo, she had acquired a taste for breaking the rules. And football. But, football with two people was a little redundant. Usually, it just ended up with them fighting for the football and calling each other names, before one of them got tied to a post. But...she knew that boys weren't that much better. Ichigo was the one exception - though at some times he was a little dense, and he never looked happy...other boys just sat there and stared, stammering over themselves trying to think of the right thing to say.

And as much as she like spending time with Ichigo...it wasn't enough for her. She needed something else to take the edge off her loneliness, and she would swallow needles before she ever admitted to Ichigo that she _liked _spending time with him. Leaving that up to assumption was good enough for her. And he never seemed to mind. But, she was getting scared - she had never needed somebody before - she had never wanted to talk to somebody before, and having realized that Ichigo was the one she wanted to talk to on days she felt like screaming made her realize that she couldn't let it go on.

She needed someone else. Boy, girl, it really didn't matter. Just someone who _wasn't _Ichigo.

"See ya," She grumbled when they reached the corner. He didn't respond, just kept scowling and turned the corner, too busy brooding to care.

When he was out of ear-shot, Rukia sighed forlornly. As much as she hated drama, she sure knew how to get herself caught up int he middle of it.

She had barely stepped off the curb when a blaring, ear-piercing noise shot through her body – so loud that it caused her stomach to jump into her chest. She turned and stared at truck that was a few feet from her – getting closer and closer without showing any sign of stopping.

But…it was trying to stop, wasn't it? Why wouldn't it try to stop?

Rukia tried to make sense of it – she tried to make her brain work past the haze of confusion that he descended on her. Wait. Her mind reeled – shouldn't she be afraid? She was about to be run over!

It hit her then. Ah. Bad choice of words Rukia thought to herself, before she was drowning in her own fear.

Chills ran down her back, and she took a step back. A veil of heavy, dark ice wrapped around her and pinned her to the asphalt - when the hell did transport trucks get so freaking big? And...when did she get so small? She hoped that she didn't suffer - dying immediately would be nice...wait.

What was she thinking? Move out of the way idiot! Her brain screamed at her, so loud that she could hear it over the screeching of the tires - so loud that it almost seemed like someone was screaming it in her ears. Then, she was hit hard by something from the side - knocking her forward, out of breath and dragged her across the street. Was she hit by another car? It sure felt like it...but, then she felt arms around her and looked up to see bright orange hair.

Oh. Someone _had _been screaming at her.

The truck blared behind them, angry yelling coming from the drivers side as he passed, but Rukia was too busy staring at Ichigo, and then at the stop she had been standing. And then back at Ichigo.

"What's wrong with you?" He held her by her shoulders, towering over her, "You almost got yourself killed! Jeez you're one annoying midget!" He pushed her forward, making her continue walking, while grumbling to himself, "Why are you so troublesome?" His other hand was stuffed into his pocket, and Rukia was still bewildered, her brain still trying to catch up.

"Ichigo..."

He rolled his eyes, ignoring her stare, "Just be more careful, midget. It's hard for drivers to see you, ya know."

She should have hit him for saying that, but with the shock from almost being killed and all, hitting him slipped her mind. She walked beside him, stiffly, before she finally calmed down enough to realize that she had bit her tongue when he knocked her out of the way. Oh well, it could have been worse. She peeked a few side glances at Ichigo, who was still scowling in front of them. How had he...?

Bah. Rukia shook her head. She didn't need to know that right now. What she needed to think about was that, as much as she really hated to admit it, Ichigo was the only person she would ever be able to stand. Who else would appear out of nowhere and save her when she wasn't paying attention? Not that it happened often, or that she needed saving but...it was nice, knowing that she had someone looking out for her. Maybe she should rethink the whole dating thing. After all, dating other boys was taking away her time with Ichigo, and...well, he obviously cared enough for her to save her from being road kill. Maybe he liked her more than she thought.

The were crossing another street when he grabbed her hand, a display that almost seemed desperate to her. But, Ichigo was never desperate.

He looked at her for a moment, before looking away quickly and answering her confused gaze. "I'm not gonna let you get run over, air-head. If I did, who would I hang out with? If it means holding your hand when you cross the street to keep you around, I guess it's what I gotta do."

Rukia was shocked, but didn't let it stop her from walking. He didn't even look around to make sure that no one was watching. How odd. Well, Rukia supposed that he really did care more then she thought. And that gave her heart the little push it needed to get into happiness.

"Huh," Rukia looked at the clear blue sky above them, realizing something just before they reached her house.

Ichigo gave her a hard look, before turning his head upwards as well, despite his irritation, "What?" he asked gruffly.

"Nothing..." She shook her head, looking back at him, a warm smile on her face, "It just... didn't rain today."

* * *

_**End Chapter Four**_


	5. Paper Wings I

**Hello again. So, I updated fast last time so that you guys can have more and I get no reviews? How sad- you guys are so cruel! Oh well lol, I guess I'll forgive you this time. Sorry this one took so long, but it was a more difficult concept for me to wrap my head around - this song had so many story potentials, I wrote out the plans for a few ideas, and then had to choose between them. It was tough, but I think I chose the right one. This one is again told from Rukia's POV - I'll do two in Ichigo's after this, just to keep it even. **

**This one, as I've said just above, was a little more difficult...because it was a harder one to grasp, I had to let it sink in for a while before I could really write something coherent...and also because the idea I came up with was very difficult to keep to a one-shot. It's something that could easily be made into a more than one chapter fic, so to compromise, I've decided to end it where I did, allowing me to perhaps add another part to it - but two parts, that's it! I will NOT go for three. I hope. Urg - have I ever mentioned that I hate writing formal? It's hard...the next one is definitely going to be in current day and age. **

**Read. Enjoy. Review. Yes, in that exact order ;)**

**I still don't own Bleach - and Kubo rejected my love letter. I'm so heartbroken.**

**_Is this the life that you lead,_****_  
_****_Or the life that's lead for you?_****_  
_****_Will you take the road that's been laid out before you?_****_  
_****_Will we cross paths somewhere else tonight?_****_  
_****_Somewhere else tonight..._**

**_And I can't tell if you're laughing_****_  
_****_Between each smile there's a tear in your eye_****_  
_****_There's a train leaving town in an hour_****_  
_****_It's not waiting for you, and neither am I_**

* * *

**Paper Wings I**

_**Begin Chapter Five:**_

* * *

"Rukia-Hime?"

Kuchiki Rukia turned slightly, not bothering to turn her full attention to the attendant that kneeled before the slide of her room. Through the thick rice paper, she could see the outline of his figure - the bulky armour that all of the guards of the castle were ordered to wear at all times.

"Yes?" She answered in her perfected Kuchiki tone - the tone that her brother and mother and father before her had implemented at all times, even when speaking to one another. Her voice reminded her of the stone cold looks her brother always wore - which, try as she might, she still couldn't perfect. Her large, cobalt eyes were too wide - too kind, and too intriguing to be passed off as cold.

"Byakuya-dono wishes to have an audience with you."

Rukia winced.

"Very well," Her voice, thankfully, didn't betray her nausea, "Inform him that I will be there shortly."

The shadow nodded and left, leaving Rukia to stare at her small hands, which were clenched into fists on top of her lap. Without thinking, she cleaned off of her tea table and placed the cups and pot on the mat beside the door. A maid would soon be about to take care of it. Pausing, Rukia patted the top of head, arranged her kimono, retied her obi and twisted her long, cowlick bang back into the bun atop her head. Gracefully, she opened the slide and began to make her way down the long hallway, mentally preparing herself and clearing her throat.

Arriving at the rice paper door, Rukia sat down gracefully, taking a few extra deep breaths, before bowing and announcing herself.

"You may enter."

The even voice of her Nii-sama sent shivers down her spine, but she shook them off and entered - letting her face take on an emotionless appearance. The room was dark - lit only by a few candles - Rukia wondered why it was this way, before she glanced and saw a painting of her Nee-chan pushed far back on her Nii-sama's table - a faint attempt to hide it from view. Pity and sorrow welled up in her stomach, and she had to fight back a sad smile.

It had been two years since Hisana Nee-chan had passed away - since the brightness of her home had decreased, and she began to dread the nights, when the nightmares would come and she would know that now there was no one to comfort her in the morning with a walk in the gardens. No one to tell her to smile more - to not be so serious all the time. But, as sad as Rukia was, she couldn't imagine how sad her Nii-sama was. Hisana Nee-chan had been more to him than she had ever been to her, and without her beloved Nee-chan around, Byakuya-Nii was left all by himself.

Watching him carefully, Rukia felt fear and pity. She may not love her Nii-sama as she should, but she did admire him. It was hard, seeing him all alone.

"Good afternoon, Nii-sama." Rukia greeted, bowing to the floor.

She sat up and saw him nod to her, acknowledging her greeting, before her turned back to the papers he was looking over, "I've summoned you to alert you to a proposal for marriage I have received."

Rukia blinked - surprised. A marriage proposal? How strange...it wasn't strange that someone had asked to marry her Nii-sama, he was a very popular man, loved by all of the women - it was strange that he was notifying her of this.

"Nii-sama...why-"

"I've decided to accept, and I expect you to be prepared as soon as possible."

Accept? Rukia felt anger swelling in her chest. He was accepting? How dare he! Her Nee-chan was the only woman he should love, and Rukia couldn't see any other woman taking that place in their lives. But, then again...the anger melted...she had felt sorry for him, she had wanted to see him happy. If that made him happy, then who was she to deny him this chance at happiness.

As much as it bothered her...as much as it seemed a blasphemy to her Nee-chan's memory, she couldn't keep him from it. She couldn't be that selfish, even if she wanted to be.

"Of course, Nii-sama."

He nodded to her, and then went back to his papers.

After a moment, Rukia decided to speak.

"May I ask...who, Nii-sama?" She was curious - much too curious to know what woman could have possible woo'd her brother so. When Nee-chan had died, she hadn't eve imagined her Nii-sama with anyone else - his love for her had been that strong. Who could have...? It was eating away at her.

"Takiando-san, the man you met at the cherry blossom viewing last month."

Speechless, Rukia started at him, trying to piece together what she had missed. Her...her Nii-sama wasn't marrying...a man...was he? No - there was no way that he could be...well...Rukia closed her eyes, still unable to believe it.

"Takiando-san...?" Even if they were...Takiando-san was a little young for her brother - he was barely twenty...

"You didn't expect me to give your hand to a stranger?"

Everything froze. Suddenly, it became clear, and Rukia was struggling for breath. A small part of her was relieved that Nii-sama was not marrying a man, but the rest of her was shocked - it was so sudden, it was too soon...Rukia felt young - much, much too young for this, but she was of age. Her sixteenth birthday had been two weeks before that cherry blossom viewing, and now Takiando's strange eagerness to spend time with her was put into perspective.

If she had known, she would have avoided him! Rukia cursed her luck, but then again, how long could she have avoided this? Sure - avoiding men was easy...but sooner or later her Nii-sama would have just given her away. At least she knew who it was.

"Don't make such a senseless face."

Immediately, her features snapped back into the Kuchiki facade. Her insides might be churning and collapsing, but she couldn't show it on the outside. No, she was a Kuchiki - and Kuchiki's did not betray their internal emotions.

"I am sorry Nii-sama," She apologized, looking downwards, pleading with herself not to shed any shameful tears. "I am honored that you have taken the time to find me a suitor. Thank you, Nii-sama."

She felt his eyes watching her for a few moments, before her answered, "That is all."

It couldn't look at if she were running away - she had to keep herself from rushing out, from abandoning all of her pride and running like a child out to the garden - she couldn't condemn herself to her room, not now. Not when she felt like she needed to escape. Rukia, after walking slowly, painfully slowly, out of the house, ran to the one place she knew she would feel calm.

"Nee-chan."

Her fingers traced the cool, hard stone of her Nee-chan's tombstone. It laid beneath a beautiful cherry blossom tree - and everytime she came here, Rukia was reminded of her Nee-chan, and it felt like she wasn't dead anymore...that Hisana-nee was sitting right next to her, and...if she closed her eyes, Rukia could hear the soft tinkling laughter that always made her feel loved and carefree.

Distraught, Rukia collapsed in front of the tree, leaning heavily on the stone. She didn't feel like crying anymore - that had passed as sudden as it had appeared, thankfully. But, she still felt an internal turmoil that kept her from standing still - she watched her small, pale hands shake as she grasped the stone. Clenching her fingers, Rukia commanded them to stop. She was a Kuchiki...and...

She wouldn't be a Kuchiki for much longer.

"Oh, Nee-chan." She missed her Nee-chan. She missed having someone to talk to - to really talk to. Someone who could see past all of the pretenses, all of the coldness that she emitted.

_Calm down Rukia Kuchiki_, she told herself, _Relax. You must regain a hold of yourself - you need some time to reflect...some time to...mourn._

Taking a deep breath, Rukia stood up and bowed to the tombstone, before walking past the large cherry blossom tree, facing the tall stone wall of the Kuchiki garden. Untying her outer kimono, she left the heavy cloth folded neatly behind the tree, safely out of site, leaving her in her lighter under yukata. The spring breeze felt nice, and like she had done many times before, she climbed the tree and lept from one of the branches out onto another tree located outside the wall.

Finally free, Rukia managed a small smile. She had always enjoyed adventure - being able to satisfy her childish whims. She hadn't had much of a childhood...it felt good, being free like this...and she relished in it - the imminous future looming in her mind. Soon after being wedd, she would be a mother...

Huh. Rukia contemplated that - being a mother. Although she didn't mind the thought of that, she couldn't imagine Takiando as a father. He was...much too uptight, and boring. That was the worst thing about being a Kuchiki. Most of her friends, (And she used that term loosely) were unbelievably dull. Oh...Rukia slouched...she would have to be getting used to that now...

She stopped, her lamenting finally falling into place - the brunt of it was hitting her now. This was it, wasn't it? She was never going to experience more than this...her cage was getting smaller and smaller...

Horrified, Rukia let out a strangled sigh - she didn't want this to be it...there were so many things that she still wanted to see - that she wanted to do. What was she going to do now?

But...there was nothing she could do, was there? Leaning against a tree, Rukia looked to the sky - her fate was sealed - just like those clouds. They were destined to live up there their whole lives, and she too was destined to live her life as a Kuchiki...and Kuchiki's didn't marry for love...they didn't wander off into the woods, they didn't look for adventures...

"Ouch! Oi! What the hell - God_dammit_!"

Rukia blinked to herself once, before looking around. Had that been...had it...

It had come from over there...creeping slowly, Rukia looked through the trees and saw, down a small slope, the strangest head of hair she had ever seen in her life standing over a river. Granted, her life hadn't been that long, but still - she was sure that bright orange wasn't a common colour.

"Dammit!"

Ah, Rukia's eyes widened, it was a man. Then she frowned. A very poor mouthed man...and her frown deepened when she looked closer. He was covered in fresh wounds, and the source of his exclamations were the rush of pain that came with washing such horrible wounds. He must be a warrior...maybe even a samurai...Rukia crept closer, trying to get a better look at this stranger. His belongings were strewn about - blankets were shredded - he had apparently ripped them for bandages. Oooh...Rukia caught a glimpse of a pure black sword gleaming in the sunlight - and she had to admit, it was strangely beautiful. If she looked close enough she could see red blood and caked mud all over the blade.

Yes - definitely an experienced warrior...who could know how many men he had killed - how many battles that he had been in? She thought of her Nii-sama- stoic and brave, yet graceful and strong...

"Ah, damn!"

Flailing wildly, the orange haired man slipped and fell into the stream, shrieking and cursing as he was swept away in the current.

Rukia sweat-dropped. Okay. Not graceful...more like...a bumbling idiot...but, she smiled to herself, the look on his face had been pretty amusing. Sighing, Rukia began to run for the river - diving in without a second thought. Unlike the orange-haired warrior, she had known instinctively how to swim since she was very young - gliding though the thick waters like it was her second nature. She quickly made her way to where the guy was, choking and almost unconscious, and wrapped her arms around his broad chest, commanding all of the strength in her small body to haul him back to the shore.

Back-paddling, Rukia managed to drag him out before he drowned. Dumping him onto the sandy beach, Rukia smirked to herself, amused again as she watched him hack the water and debris out of his lungs.

"Are you alright?" She asked, trying not to sound too much like she was enjoying his pain.

He squinted at her though one eye, still coughing, and nodded. Taking advantage of the time, Rukia wrung her hair and sleeves out, scowling as she realized she had gotten the bottom of her yukata dirty. How was she going to explain this one?

"Thank you." He said, bringing her gaze back to him.

He was kneeling, waiting for her to look at him again, before he bowed in respect.

She waved off his formality - ignoring her Nii-sama's voice in her head, telling her to be more ladylike and stop disgracing the Kuchiki name - and responded with a small smirk, "It was my pleasure, though I was under the impression that people in this day and age knew how to swim." She had to give him some credit. He caught his scowl after a moment and simply stared at her. He had obviously been raised to treat women with respect. She frowned. How boring. Maybe this wasn't something she wanted to do.

"I don't really care for the water," He said, standing up - legs a little wobbly.

Biting her tongue, Rukia kept back a cheeky remark. He seemed to be a little sensitive, and for some strange reasons she was feeling very playful - very teasing. Hmm. She frowned for a different reason, wondering if she was more alone than she thought she was. She needed to be around more people.

"I see." She got up and began to walk back to where he had fallen in, decided to stay instead of leave.

"Oi," He followed her, walking close behind her, "Um..."

"Sit down," She instructed him, gesturing to a rock he could comfortable sit on in the shallow parts of the water.

"What are-"

"We don't want you to fall in again, do we? And," She picked at the unwinding bands of cloth around his chest, "You'll die of blood-loss with this patch-up job." And then she grimaced, seeing how terrible the wounds really were "You're going to need stitching."

He was speechless, staring at her, which allowed for her to sneak into his bag without him objecting up-front. Quickly, she found a small kit with a small amount of medical supplies, and luckily a needle and thread.

"Did you pack this?" She asked suddenly - sure that there was no way he could have thought to do it himself...he couldn't even dress his own wound, how could he know how to sow it? She pushed him to where the stone was, enjoying the cnfusion on his face.

"No - ah..." He turned a little red, "Someone packed it for me - the medical kit."

Nodding, Rukia went to removing the sopping bandages - carefully - admiring it when he didn't wince when she knew she was being too quick and too rough.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." He grumbled as she was removing the last bandage, causing her to look up.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo." He didn't look at her, which made her smile.

"Kuchiki Rukia."

She didn't feel the need to say anything more - and they fell into a comfortable silence - one which Rukia reveled in. She had never known comfortable silences...all she knew were the uncomfortable, long and painful silences that were permanently etched into the Kuchiki home. After some time, though, she had to speak again.

"You're going to need to lie down now." She had finished cleaning his wounds - and now came for the sowing.

He complied without a word, or a grimace - which earned more of her respect. Yes, she concluded, he was definitely a seasoned warrior. While she sowed, she counted all of the scars that littered his body - there weren't many, and they weren't bad - most of them only slightly silvery and very thin. Actually, his skin was surprisingly soft - when it wasn't mutilated. But thick - was his entire body muscle? She could barely push the needle through some parts, but it did get done, and Rukia was proud of herself. She had never done this much - and her work looked pretty good. Washing the wounds one more time, she dried them and applied the bandages - taking extra care to do them perfectly...and she might have been trying to show off a bit, but she would never admit to it.

"It's done." She announced after double-checking her work, offering a hand to help him up again. He took it after considering it for a moment, barely putting any of his weight on her, which made her roll her eyes. Men.

"Thank you," He replied - a small smile on his face, "I think you've saved my life twice today with this."

Laughing, Rukia packed up the small medical kit and returned it to his bag, ignoring the mess of his belongings all around them and the impulse to organize everything.

"So, Kurosaki-san," Rukia asked - brow furrowing when calling him by his formality didn't feel right - , "Where are you from and...if I may ask, where did you get these wounds?"

"Ah, Kuchiki-san," Rukia shivered. That was her sister's title, "I've never really been from anywhere - I've moved around since I was young. And these, well...I don't know if I should tell you...you might regret saving me."

"Regret saving you? What are you - an assasin?" She asked jokingly - but stopped short when he smirked in not the nicest way.

"Something like that." He stood up and began to gather his things, "I'm a thief - and if any of my comrades knew that I was telling you this, they would demand that I either kidnap you or kill you."

Rukia's heart jumped, "Are you going to do either?" She asked.

He contemplated for a moment - but Rukia caught the teasing twist in his face, "No. Come on, killing you after you saved my life? Kidnapping you? What kind of man would that make me?"

So...Rukia thought to herself, he was a thief who had honor...how backwards.

"Thank you for that, I suppose." And she leaned backwards, admiring the colour of the sky and the arrangement of the clouds. She felt warm - inside and out, knowing that she had done something good for the day.

This was her way of giving him a change to leave without feeling awkward - but he didn't, instead he fiddled around with his bag, and then with something else that she couldn't see. But she ignored it - feeling somehow comforted - somehow safe, even though she was five feet from an admitted thief. His presence was...soothing...and then her face began to burn as she realized how foolish her feelings were. She felt like a child.

Not being able resist, Rukia shifted and peeked out of the corner of her eye, trying to see what he could be doing.

"Fishing?" Her tone was more incredulous than she had meant it to be, but it slipped out before she could compose herself.

He snapped his head back to her - grinning slightly. "Yeah - I'm starving." He set up a fishing reel and arranged a net at the edge of the river, and Rukia had to stop herself from laughing right out. She had never seen anyone so ill-prepared for the wilderness - if he actually managed to catch any fish with that pitiful reel in the shallowest area of the river, he was an extremely lucky man.

Walking up to stand beside him, Rukia peered over his shoulder as he watched intently; waiting for a fish to swim into his trap.

"That's not going to work." She decided to put it bluntly - how was he ever going to survive? Rukia decided just then that he must not be a very good thief if he couldn't survive by himself. Usually thieves were resourceful - they were cunning...Watching him stare with a goofy grin on his face at the water definitely communicated he was not any of those things.

"What? Why?" He demanded, looking extrememly dissapointed.

"For so many reasons." Trying not to look to smug, Rukia dug into her sandal and pulled out her emergency yen - enough to buy food for herself whenever she needed it. "Here - and, take some fishing lessons...please." She dropped the money in front of him and turned away, knowing in her heart that she would really rather not have to go back...her expression grew sour and her happy aura dissipated - shattering all around her.

"Oi - " He suddenly appeared beside her - looking at her with concern, "Are you going to travel in the woods alone?"

His tone made Rukia bristle - "Yes - unlike some people, I can take care of myself."

"Oh," He shook his head defensively, "I don't doubt that...but..." He began to glare at her, "You might think you can take care of yourself, but the world is a dangerous place. I don't care if you don't want be to, but I'm going to make sure you get home safely. I owe you that much."

Growling, Rukia huffed, "You owe me nothing." And she turned to stalk away - perhaps her revelation about having to go home had put her in a bad mood, but she didn't want to have to be taken care of...and this thug, ah - she winced - it was wrong to call him that, this man shouldn't have to worry about her. Escpecially with those wounds.

She pretended that she couldn't hear him grumbling to himself, following after her, while she stomped through the trees, finding her way easily through the trees and bushes. She also pretended that she wasn't fighting down the sudden irrational want to stop the silence. Why on earth did she want to speak to him so badly? She was a Kuchiki, damn it...her clan was the best at its stone cold silences.

"What did you say your name was again?" He asked suddenly - and Rukia knew that he was now starting to see the large stone wall that surrounded her home. He was starting to piece things together.

"Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia." Rukia almost didn't want to tell him...she was always treated different when people knew who she was. It was that same cold indifference that she should pride herself on...unfortunately, she didn't enjoy it, nor did she enjoy receiving it. But that was the world of the nobles...the world that she was condemned to.

"Kuchiki..." She heard him say it softly to himself, but other than that he didn't say anything. He didn't stop following her and he didn't stop her and demand her to answer his questions. In fact...Rukia was shocked that he didn't kidnap her like he had threatened teasingly before. Kidnapping a Kuchiki would guarantee him and his thieving pals riches beyond what they might imagine. Not that her Nii-sama would want her back for her company...no, it would be about pride. Imagine, a man like Byakuya Kuchiki, letting his sister be taken by a vile, loathsome thief...it was almost laughable.

She stopped underneath her tree - the same one that she would be climbing to get over the wall, and spoke while she began to climb, " - her face paled and her heart stopped when she looked back at him, watching her carefully, and was momentarily side-tracked. Her fingers slipped, and she toppled backwards, her life flashing as a small yelp escaped from her throat. Eyes closed, Rukia gasped when she was caught in a pair of warm arms - warm, but hard arms that most likely bruised her shoulders and lower back. It took a few moments for her to be able to open her eyes again - and when she saw him looking down at her, a very amused expression on her face, Rukia couldn't stop the heat on her face. She blushed and flushed at the same time - unable to form any coherent words.

"Ah...I won't thank you." Rukia muttered, pushing him away from her, embarrassed that something so ridiculous had happened.

"No," He smirked, "I suppose I'm the one who should be thanking you." And Rukia was caught up in his choice of words, before she remembered herself.

"Well," She sputtered, "I guess this is goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo" and she offered him her hand - something that, as a Kuchiki, she knew that she shouldn't do but...she wanted to be able to offer him this, and damn her formalities if it meant not showing him that she really was thankful she had met him today.

He scratched the back of his head, but took her hand in his - grasping it carefully, causing Rukia to snort in an unladylike fashion.

"You're not going to break me."

He rolled his eyes, offering her his cupped hands to help her over the wall, to which she ignored and climbed the tree to her left, hefting herself to the top without any trouble.

"Goodbye, Kuchiki Rukia."

She looked down at him - and for the first time that night they really looked into each other's eyes and Rukia was mesmerized by the fire that burned in those amber orbs, causing her palms to sweat and for her to almost lose her hold on the rough tree bark. And then she dropped - dropping out of his life forever. She swallowed the hope in her chest -the hope that they might meet up again, somewhere else.

From that day on, she didn't think of it again. She went along her duties and obeyed her Nii-sama- waiting with a gloomy, anxious spirit for her wedding to descend upon her. She visited her Nee-chan almost everyday, fighting the urge to leap over the wall and run away. Rukia didn't know why, but she felt, for the first time, strange about escaping. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but...she was afraid of disappointment. She was afraid that there wasn't going to be anything exciting out there for her, and that there was going to be nothing left to look forward to.

One day, however, after a fairly taxing morning (she had gone with her Nii-sama to meet with Takiando-san and his Otou-san; they spoke about the wedding and living arrangements and such. It hadn't been the best morning, and Rukia felt her mood deteriorating...) she swallowed her fear and made her way to the tall wall, almost feeling a sense of true freedom as she landed safely on the other side.

Tacked up on the large tree she climbed down, with an arrow, was the yen that she had given to Ichigo. She wondered when she began to think of him without the formalities...when she began to think his name with such tenderness.

Fingering the money, Rukia smiled sadly to herself. So...this was the life that was laid out before her...Rukia cringed at how much she wished she could change everything, how much she wished she could leave everything behind. But, she was a damned Kuchiki. And it was her horrible bad luck - her horrid fate - that she couldn't have been born into the same world as that orange haired man, Ichigo. A sudden, irrational hatred sprang into her chest for that man and his luck...he was free; something that she would never be.

"Ne, Kuchiki Rukia?"

She jumped - accidentally yanking out the arrow she had been thinking about pulling out. Her ears burned - and she couldn't stop herself from staring, slack-jawed, looking very much like a fool. He grinned at her, his flaming eyes still the same as she remembered.

"Are you ready to thank me yet?"

* * *

_**End Chapter Five**_


	6. Paper Wings II

**YAY! I got reviews! I have to say, it may not be the million reviews that every author wants to see appear in their mailbox after posting a chapter, but it was more than enough for me - thanks guys, I'm beaming with happiness!**

**Alright - here is the second part to Paper Wings...there isn't really much to say about it - after having taken so long on the last one, this one was easier to write. And yes, from Rukia's character again - I just couldn't change it - I love writing Rukia. She's such a dear...**

**And HEY! One of you guys actually mentioned my inspiration for this fic, it was totally inspired by the calendar that came out with all the characters featured as feudal era people...yes, so congrats to teshichan...it wasn't a happy accident that they lined up perfectly with the calendar ;) You win a virtual cookie!**

**Anywho - hey, have any of you guys heard of Rock Musical Bleach? Guys - you MUST watch it! Go to YouTube, first look up andromeda881 and search their profile for the subbed version (The order is: Saien, Dark of the Bleeding Moon, Live Bankai Show Code 001, No Clouds in the Blue Heavens, The All, Live Bankai Show Code 002 and Live Bankai Show 003) Guys...it is the most awesome thing EVER! (Well, besides Bleach itself). And yes, it it a musical - which might sound hokey to you now...but just go watch it - it is unbelievable - AND HEY! If you really want to, you can go to my profile (FictionPM) and I have the first three subbed saved as playlists :D**

**Okay, back to this.**

**I still don't own Bleach. Or Rock Musical Bleach. But, I can look up a part where Aizen, Byakuya and Toshiro are all singing a very, very sexy song :D**

**_Is this the life that you lead,_****_  
_****_Or the life that's lead for you?_****_  
_****_Will you take the road that's been laid out before you?_****_  
_****_Will we cross paths somewhere else tonight?_****_  
_****_Somewhere else tonight..._**

**_And I can't tell if you're laughing_****_  
_****_Between each smile there's a tear in your eye_****_  
_****_There's a train leaving town in an hour_****_  
_****_It's not waiting for you, and neither am I_**

* * *

**Paper Wings II**

**_Begin Chapter Six:_**

* * *

"What the hell is _that_?"

Rukia clenched her fingers into a fist, trying very hard to suppress the urge to hit him. It was strange…she had been feeling more and more inclined to violence since she had begun her odd friendship with the thief known as Kurosaki Ichigo. Not that she particularly minded, but – sometimes it reared its ugly head in places that it shouldn't. Like when her betrothed (She cringed at the term) arrived at her home early in the morning to invite her to spend the day with him, and she had no choice but to accept (one could only fake sickness so many times before they were found out) and had to listen to him prattle about such dim things while they rode to whatever area he had chosen for them that day.

Mostly, though, it showed when she was with Ichigo – there was something about him that had all of her perfectly set walls of calmness and self-control - crumbling down around her, leaving everything that she thought had frozen long ago bare and slowly thawing out. Like her short, wicked temper and violence. Things that, if her Nii-sama knew about, would mean being sent away for a very long, very strenuous season of re-learning how to act as a proper Kuchiki with her distant relatives - the same people who had taught her Nii-sama.

The last time she had went, she had been eleven and had made friends with some of the children in the area. Her Nii-sama hadn't approved of her choice of comrades...well, she wondered what he would do if he found out about her latest friend, and the influence he was on her.

"It's a rabbit!" Rukia turned slightly and glared up at the orange-haired thief who was was lazing in the sun across the top of the Kuchiki wall, wishing that he would fall off.

"What?" He demanded, squinting, "No way - it looks more like a pig."

"A pig?" Rukia had to fight to keep her enraged shriek down to sub-sonic levels. It was a nice morning in the very back of the Kuchiki gardens, and it would be a definite downer if the guards came running to her rescue and Ichigo had to escape his death. Actually, at the moment, with him irritating her so, she considered setting the dogs on him. "You..." She almost let a curse slip past her lips, but reigned it down in time. Instead, she threw a dirty paintbrush into his face was deadly accuracy.

"Pfft," Ichigo snorted, wiping off the black paint with a glare, "Sorry your Highness, I didn't mean to accidentally offend your horrible, deformed drawings." his sarcastic mutter caused Rukia to smile slightly to herself. She hadn't realized how much she missed being around real people who didn't treat her like she was a member of a noble house...Ichigo didn't seem to care about that at all. In fact, he teased her for it more often than he respected her for it. He was real...which made her feel more real in return.

"Watch it," Rukia murmured, her voice laced with less anger than she had wanted, "Or I'll draw a portrait of _you_."

"Oi," Rukia expected another sarcastic or witty remark - or at the very least a threat. That was usually how their time spent together went, but instead he seemed to be in a conversational mood today. Odd, but it didn't really matter. Ichigo was Ichigo, whether he was yelling, teasing or just yapping like an old woman.

"When's that suitor of yours coming by today?"

They didn't especially talk about that part of her life - any time it came up, Rukia was usually complaining about Takiando-san and his antics.

Immediately, Rukia's mood darkened, being reminded that Takiando-san would be coming to whisk her away...and she would have to plaster a small smile on her face and pretend that she was having a wonderful time - when really, she was contemplating using Ichigo and his less-than-noble occupation to her advantage. Takiando-san wouldn't be a probable suitor if he didn't have the near limitless fortune and high social standing that her Nii-sama would look for in a match.

"Near midlight." Rukia grumbled, turned her head to gaze at the sun - wishing that it would just stay put where it was and let her be free for as long as she wanted. Her life was so strange at the moment – on one side, Rukia was downcast; terrified about the future and the cage that she was going to be shoved into before she even had a chance to live - on the other side, however, her fleeting moments of joy were more powerful than she could imagine. Ichigo had a way of making her laugh - of helping her to survive the Kuchiki cold that had set in years ago.

What was she going to do with herself after she was married?

Immediately, Rukia pushed the thought out of her head - she didn't have to think about that now.

"Jeez." Ichigo muttered, "He's a real annoying bastard, isn't he?"

Not wanting to appear too malicious, Rukia just sighed. She agreed with Ichigo...but that didn't mean that she would bad-talk another person behind their back...not that she didn't want to, she did, but it seemed too dark; too...Ichigo. Not that Ichigo was a bad person - he was just more free with his emotions than Rukia was.

She wasn't sure if she was envious of that fact, or relived it was true.

"Do you have to spend time with him?"

Rukia put down her brush and turned to look at Ichigo, a small smirk on her face, "Yes, Ichigo. I've declined the past four invitations he's sent me, remember?" He should remember - he was the one who practically ordered her to decline, and they had spent the days by the river. Rukia had tried to teach Ichigo how to swim...it hadn't worked out too well for either of them. Rukia had ended up frustrated and insulted, while Ichigo had ended up embarrassed and pout-y. Sometimes Rukia couldn't believe how much of a child he was.

"Damn! Today's going to be so _boring_!" Ichigo's face fell into a pout again, and Rukia laughed to herself, but it was flat laughter. In the back of her mind, she was thinking about how much she wished she could decline again...but she couldn't. She wouldn't. And Ichigo was just going to have to find something else to do.

As long she wasn't being forced to go anywhere, what was wrong with amusing him and herself?

"Ichigo...would you like to try?" She offered him a canvas and brushes, grinning when he turned to glare at her, his eyes immediately saying no, but she knew that he would give it up eventually. As always, she was right, and after grumbling to himself, he slipped down behind her Nee-chan's blossoming tree and began to run the brush softly against the canvas.

Rukia watched him out of the corner of her eye, surprised at how he seemed to know what he was doing. Had he done this before?

"My mother used to paint for us..." he explained after she had asked, his back hiding his face, "She would take me and my sisters out, teaching us how to properly hold the brush."

Rukia didn't have to ask; the ache in Ichigo's voice relayed it perfectly. His mother was someone he loved very much...and she was gone. It was a tone that Rukia knew well – she had heard it ringing in voice when her Nii-chan had passed away. Rukia didn't bring it up again - there might be a day that they shared those types of deep things with one another, but that was not today.

The sun moved too fast in the sky, and before Rukia knew it, she was being summoned back to the courtyard; Takiando-san had arrived for her.

"Goodbye," Rukia murmured as Ichigo disappeared over the wall, just in time, as it was. Takiando-san had become impatient waiting for her, and had come to retrieve her himself. Rukia greeted him with the proper amount of abashment, trying to hide her intense irritation, smile a little stiff. "Hello, Takiando-san." She refused to greet him more familiarly than that - he had attempted to persuade her to do so, but she outright refused. She might have felt a little horrid about it, if she knew that he didn't look at her as if she was just a royal-blooded, social-status boosting, child-bearing Kuchiki. Rukia had to admit, thought, he might love her. He might cherish her but...that wasn't enough for her. The way he treated her was almost too caring; too sweet.

Just as she thought this, he stepped forward to wipe her bang back into the rest of her hair, talking to her in a soft voice, "We're meeting with my Otou-sama and your Nii-sama today, Hime."

Rukia scowled - unable to stop herself. "Well then, let's be on our way Takiando-san." And get it over with.

She hoped that the meeting wouldn't last long - but her instinct was telling her to prepare herself to be seated and still for a long while. Her instinct was correct, it turned out, as she sat a half-an-hour later, trying not to fidget while listening to the old, slow voice of Takiando-sama, the honourable father of her suitor. They had spoken of the future, and about the history of their family; now doubt trying once again to impress Nii-sama, something that they shouldn't bother with. Rukia rolled her eyes discreetly. Nii-sama wasn't impressed by such things, and neither was she.

Finally, the conversation took a turn towards something Rukia could pay attention to- the date of her and Takiando's wedding.

"We've taken into consideration your previous anxiousness to get married," Takiando-sama said slowly and Rukia felt panic welling inside of her - that wasn't anxiousness to get married, she wanted to say, that was anxiousness to not be married - the want to be free. "The date has been changed. You will be wed the day after tomorrow."

The day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. It rang in Rukia's head like a funeral dirge. Her stomach churned and her throat closed up; she had been counting on her engagement continuing on for months, and if she played her cards right, maybe years - but her trial was set now. Her prison was created, and she could see it looming ever closer. Somehow, she managed not to show her panic, not to lose all of her self-control and yell and scream like she felt like doing. Instead, she took it all - locking up her emotions inside her, just like a true Kuchiki. Her Nii-sama would have been proud.

She hadn't been able to completely concentrate on the rest of the meeting - her Nii-sama and Takiando-sama had finalized the plans, leaving Rukia and Takiando-san to themselves. Rukia had been too shocked to bother responding to his many attempts at holding a conversation - he was lucky she didn't express her internal maelstrom physically, there were plenty of samurai swords decorating the room for her to take care of her problems permanently. It had taken too long, much, much too long in her opinion for her Nii-sama to finally announce that they were leaving. Distracted and distant, Rukia barely managed a nod goodbye. She didn't even flinch or grimace when her Nii-sama reprimanded her for such behaviour when Takiando-san had momentarily left then to gather the horses.

Her mind was wrung - spinning so fast Rukia couldn't pay attention to what she was going - where she was going. She just wanted to go home and try to get her world back upright. She wanted to see her Nee-chan; she wanted to close her eyes and pretend that everything was just a horrible dream, and surprisingly, she wanted to see -

Rukia was suddenly very aware of her surroundings; dragged out of the darkness of her mind roughly and suddenly, giving her a headache, but be knew what was happening. She was leaving Takiando-sama's with her Nii-sama; Takiando-san was catching up to them - he stood next to her, grasping her arm gently.

And she was also hallucinating.

Nii-sama and Takiando-san were walking on either side of her, guiding her to the horses, but there was something wrong...Ichigo seemed to walking towards her - up the long path to Takiando-sama's and he was grinning a her with a look the devil himself would have approved of. Rukia stared back - shocked, her mouth going dry. Takiando-san stiffened, no doubt in reaction to the wicked look on Ichigo's face.

Was he...was he going to kidnap her?

It seemed like it had been so long ago that Ichigo had teased her about it - just teased, because Ichigo was honourable - too honourable to not repay for her saving him life. At the time, Rukia had been relived - glad that she wouldn't fall victim to him; but that day hadn't been the day before her wedding - before her cage dropped into place, trapping her for life. Without any consideration, without any second thought - only her immediate and most irrational emotions raging inside her, Rukia realized in astonishment that she wanted Ichigo to kidnap her.

It seemed so easy...just a small step away...Rukia stared at Ichigo was a hopeful look, breath hitching and heart galloping.

Then, the want to be stolen away finally landed in her stomach with a resounding thud, and Rukia realized that she was insane. What was she thinking? She began to struggle; kicking and squirming, she didn't care if she hurt him. When his iron-grip didn't loosen, she resorted to biting him, and it was then he seemed to acknowledge her existence.

"Ow! You stupid chibi! What the hell?" His offending appendage was quickly removed from her mouth, allowing her to begin to yell.

"Put me down, right now Ichigo!" She tried to make herself sound threatening. When Ichigo didn't hesitate in answer, "No way, Hime." she realized she might as well have been telling him to stop making fun of her drawings. He wasn't ever going to listen to her.

"Ichigo."

This tactic was less obvious than the first one - she was going to try something she had never done before. She was going to talk nice. "Please, Ichigo -stop this." With much chagrin, Rukia realized her voice sounded so pathetic...and thought that she would rather stick to yelling. To her amazement, however, Ichigo stiffened, the horse's path swayed slightly - and Rukia hoped that she was finally getting through to him. The horses steady gallop was starting to make her feel sick - considering she was laying stomach first on Ichigo's knees, the jostling and pounding was going to make her sore in the morning.

"Ichigo." She said his name one more time, and finally the horse slowed - slowly enough for her to wriggle out of his grasp and slip harmlessly onto the grass.

"Oi!" Ichigo yelled, jumping off after her, "Don't run away!"

Snorting, Rukia crossed her arms, stepping towards him to glare more menacingly, "I'm not going to run away," she growled. He reached for her once more, and she slapped his forehead, pushing him away. "What the hell are you doing?" Her demand was a shriek - she couldn't stop herself. She was infuriated - and embarrassed at having been hauled away in front of her Nii-sama like she had been.

This time, Ichigo snorted, mimicking her movements as he crossed his arms, "I'm kidnapping you, stupid. You're coming with me and my gang; tonight we're leaving this land - at first light we'll be gone."

Something deep inside Rukia shifted painfully - Ichigo was leaving? Of course she knew what he was saying was impossible - she couldn't go with him. Since the day they had met, Rukia had known that their friendship was numbered - for so many reasons. She was engaged - she belonged to another man, and after the wedding, she wouldn't be able to sneak away as she did under her Nii-sama's semi-protective gaze. Also, because Ichigo was a thief - a wanted man, and a nomad above all else. Rukia had been surprised he had stuck around so long - months must have seemed like forever to him.

Their meeting had defied all natural laws - all social laws - it was all wrong.

But, it had felt so right.

"I can't." Rukia said quietly, shaking her head, "I'm...I'm a Kuchiki; I just can't abandon my title!"

Ichigo's face flashed with shock, confusion, and then disgust finally rested on his features, "You know, Rukia, I can't understand it - you loathe that bastard; you hate everything about being a Kuchiki - but you still follow every rule, go along with every whim of that master of yours like a damn _puppy_!"

"It's my duty!" Rukia gasped, outraged that he would say such a thing, "I was born here, born as a Kuchiki, raised as a Kuchiki and expected to live as Kuchiki, and that is all I will ever be! I can't just run away from the things I dislike because I _want_ to!" Kami, if she could do that she would have done it ages ago.

He looked just as infuriated as she felt; his next words were spit with such venom, that Rukia almost recoiled under the heat, "So you're just going to wait around to marry him? To live and die unhappy?"

His angry questions ruffled her pain from earlier, reminding her that Rukia wasn't going to be single as long as she had wanted to be. He saw the pain ripple across her face - confusion blossomed slightly in his hard gaze.

"Ichigo," Rukia refused to let her emotions best her, but she didn't know how to tell him what was wrong without going into another rage or breaking down completely. "Ichigo..." She said again, quieter, "Tomorrow...tomorrow..." Dear Kami! Rukia clenched her hands into tight fists, furious with herself, why couldn't she say it? It shouldn't be difficult, this was the truth! This was something that she was eventually going to have to come to terms with...Rukia shuddered. She was going to have to come to terms with it before tomorrow.

"You're getting married." He said it bluntly, and hearing the words out loud stole Rukia's breath away and caused a fresh sheen of tears to flood her eyes, threatening to fall and officially label herself as a coward.

"How do you know?" Rukia whispered, horrified and tearful.

He didn't answer immediately, something that worried Rukia. Ichigo never had problems saying anything - he was crude and blunt and loud-mouthed, hardly ever holding in what he wanted to say. Her intuition flashed briefly, and she realized it was probably something he didn't want to admit to. Like watching her carefully, or even having someone from his pack of thieves watching her for him. It should have worried her that he would put so much effort into knowing her, but it didn't. Instead, Rukia just felt hollow - she had felt too much in one day, too much grief, horror, chagrin, and even earlier in the day, happiness.

"Ichigo." She didn't know what to say - she didn't know what she was going to do. No...actually, that was the one thing she did know. She was going to be married, and then locked away until her dying day. Rukia felt like cursing again, but what use was it? This was her life...she was a Kuchiki...

"I am a Kuchiki," Rukia said again, feebly, trying to make him understand the level of devotion she held to her clan.

His eyes were still dark, "Yeah," he said sourly, "A damn Kuchiki."

Feeling even emptier than she had before, Rukia gave up. She wasn't willing to fight with him anymore - she couldn't put up with the emotions that it took to try and make him understand; to try and make herself understand. She turned after a moment, not bothering to say goodbye. It was too much for her.

"I'll offer it one more time," Ichigo began softly, "We leave tonight, before dawn. I won't wait for you." And then the horse began to gallop away, leaving Rukia to her misery.

She didn't cry - Rukia had never been an emotional girl. The last time she had shed tears was when her Nee-chan had passed away, leaving her to the cold, hard world all alone. Since that day, she had never felt the need to cry; all her warm, human tears had frozen up behind her eyes, and turned into cool, cobalt ice. But damn that Ichigo - his warmth and fiery disposition...he had changed all that.

Rukia didn't cry. But she wanted to.

She wanted to forget everything and fall into a well of tears -

No! She wanted to be strong, she wanted to survive -

Her Kuchiki pedigree raged against these very new, very troubling emotions, and with neither side managing a victory, Rukia simply felt strangled. Nii-sama had posted his guards; circling a wide radius of the Kuchiki castle, meaning that it wasn't long before Rukia, wandering aimlessly in the forest, was found and brought back to her home. Nii-sama hadn't greeted her; she had received a warm and satisfied welcome though one of his servants, before being escorted back to her room.

How fitting for him...how Kuchiki.

Rukia's respect for the title was dwindling, and she found herself cursing Ichigo again.

Her room had never felt so cold - so empty - so pointless. Rukia sat down in front of her Nee-chan's shrine: a large painting with burning incense. How Rukia longed to flee from her cold room and visit her Nee-chan's resting place in the garden, but leaving her room now would not be permitted. Sneaking out was her last resort - she would do it only if she absolutely had to. But, Rukia told herself to be strong; she couldn't rely on her Nee-chan forever, and today was an excellent day to begin gleaning of off her own strength.

After all - starting after tomorrow, Rukia was going to be on her own forever.

The thought had her teeth clamping down against her lip in agonizing panic; in something akin to fear. And then there was her sadness. A great sorrow had taken hold of her soul - taken hold before she had known what was truly happening. There was pain - worse than the seemingly all powerful pain of her fear. It hurt, and she didn't know what to do with herself. No comfort came with time - the hours dragged on, the night fell upon her - leaving her in the darkness, and Rukia felt more like a prisoner than ever. And then, she couldn't stop herself from calling out to her Nee-chan.

"Hisana-Nee."

Her Nee-chan had been so happy; Rukia now wondered how that had been possible. How had Hisana-Nee managed to live, smiling and happy in this Kuchiki dungeon? Then again, Rukia rationalized, her Nee-chan hadn't been trapped like Rukia was going to be. Hisana-Nee and Nii-sama had married out of love.

The seconds ticked by in silence; slowly, Rukia's eyes widened. Nee-chan hadn't married Nii-sama because she was a noble who had to - her Nee-chan had come from a poor family, from a lower social status...and Nii-sama had married against his family's wishes. Her own Nii-sama hadn't lived by the Kuchiki laws as Rukia herself had.

Suddenly, everything Rukia had once taken for granted began to dissolve away - with an almost audible snap, Rukia felt her consciousness re-awaken and her feet stretched out beneath her, almost toppling herself over with the force that she stood up with. Her legs carried her halfway out the door, before she paused, reconsidering herself.

The note she left behind explained her true feelings to her Nii-sama, how she refused to be part of something she didn't truly care for. She told her Nii-sama that, regardless of how he might feel about her, she still loved and admired him - but she wasn't who she was pretending to be, and she was tired of keeping up with the facade. She apologized for being more like her Nii-sama than he had ever hoped.

That part had put a small, half-smile on Byakuya Kuchiki's face when he read it in the morning - knowing that it was true, and that his beloved wife's little sister was happy. And because of this small decision, he was freed form the promise he had made his family; to always uphold the Kuchiki law. Rukia could be free now - and he hoped with all his heart that she would never be forced to come back again.

She was a Kuchiki, but she was also Rukia. And unlike the Kuchiki's, Rukia didn't want to marry for convenience. No, she wanted something a little more adventurous - something that was perhaps as binding as an arranged marriage, but not as suffocating. Something that her beloved Nee-chan and stoic Nii-sama had found, and taken for themselves, regardless of the consequences.

Her heart jumped and picked up triple time as she stole her way to the garden, pausing at her Nee-chan's grave before leaping up the tree and over the wall.

"Sorry, Nee-chan." She regretted having to leave her Nee-san this way, but she still wouldn't change it. "Thank you."

The sun was peeking across the tops of the trees, cascading across the forest floor; Rukia anticipated pain. She hadn't even bothered to use the tree for her climb down, she was too rushed and disoriented from her epiphany to think of it - but it turned out she didn't have to worry about it.

Warm arms wrapped around her middle, catching her safely before her feet came anywhere close to the ground. Her mind didn't struggle long to figure out what was happening. Had he been waiting for her all night? Elated, Rukia wondered if she had been right in thinking what she was looking for would be less suffocating - at the moment she felt like she wouldn't ever be able to breathe properly again. Gazing upwards, she met his face - smiling when she finally got a good look at him. His eyes were warm - the fire was simmering, moving slowly - like lava - a slow burn that instantly warmed her not so frosty heart (not lately, anyway). Immediately, all of her fears and worries; her insecurities about her decision, melted away.

"I thought you said you weren't going to wait for me, Kurosaki Ichigo." She teased as he set her down, releasing all of her but her small hand, which he kept encased in his own.

"Heh," He grinned, "I guess I lied, Kuchiki Rukia."

Rukia shook her head, still smiling, "Not Kuchiki; not anymore. Just Rukia."

* * *

**_End Chapter Six_**


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